Sunday, June 26, 2011

Ragam Tanam Pallavi and some innovations

Quoting from the review " Instead of presenting trikalam (singing the pallavi in three speeds), Sanjay sang kalpana swarams in different speeds (slower speed, tisram and tisram fast speed) ensuring the purvangam (first half) of the pallavi finished on the arudi. “This is similar to a technique used in Hindustani music” observed Mohan Ayyar, a senior instrumentalist and avid rasika in Sydney. "

It is interesting to note that this technique is identified as being similar to something used in Hindustani music. Personally I am not familiar with how it is employed in Hindustani music, but as far as Carnatic music goes, it was Madurai TN Seshagopalan, who started doing this frequently on stage. None of the earlier "greats" have done this atleast from the evidence of the recordings that we have with us. TNS has been a real innovator as far as the modern RTP goes and many of the things that I do are inspired from what he did atleast 40 years ago!

Just another point regarding the above qoute - There is a special item in Nadaswaram called "Rakthi melam" which was a specialty of the Sembanarkoil lineage. In this they generally played kalpana swarams to 6 different eduppus in 6 different kalams to get the jathi to the arudi. According to my guru Sembanarkoil SRD Vaithyanathan, their family has being doing this for several generations! The only difference from an RTP was that Rakthi was a single line jathi, with no sahityam, set to a talam.